Burning On Empty
by Flame-LoneWolf
Summary: "Who knew ruling a kingdom alone could leave one so empty? I know the feeling all too well, even four years after meeting Sonic and friends. Due to shirking my royal duties with Marine, I've come across an island I'd never seen before. It's also guarded by some mangy wolf who had the gall to attack me! In terms of emptiness, however, it appears even I have met my match." Blaze x OC
1. Chapter One

"_Who knew ruling a kingdom alone could leave you so empty? I know the feeling all too well, even four years after meeting Sonic and friends. Due to shirking my royal duties with Marine, I've come across an island I'd never seen before. It's also guarded by some mangy wolf who had the gall to attack me! In terms of emptiness, however, it appears even I have met my match."_

_**Chapter One: Trapped Within The Sol**_

Hard to believe it had already been four years...

'_Three and a half years, to be exact.' _A timid smile creeped onto the feline's alabaster muzzle. '_Three years, five months, and 11 days to be precise, but who__-_ _well, other than me__-_ _is counting...' _Even then, it was a smile she only found comfort in sharing with those she had grown to know in the timeframe her mind fussed with.

Nearly four years since she had hit the troubled age of fourteen, shared with the same night a pompous, power hungry, robot crazy, egg-shaped man took advantage of her absence while away at her unwanted, nerve-rackingly enormous birthday party thrown by the citizens of her kingdom. It had left him enough time to make haste with the gems she'd sworn to protect with her life, the Sol Emeralds, and into another dimension no less...

Nearly four years since being summoned to a different dimension entirely by the Sol Emeralds' will, mear hours after a defeated breakdown. Her eyes had been dry of tears ever since.

Nearly four years since dragged along (rather "_guided_") by a young, perplexingly naive rabbit who would, unforeseen by the feline, become among her first- and best friends.

Nearly four years since having slammed her frustrations (and her boot) into a certain _echidna's _dreadlocked cranium.

Nearly four years since going toe-to-toe with the world's fastest hedgehog, defeated by the hairs of her chinny-chi- er, lavender fur. A rematch may still be in order, however...

Nearly four years since harnessing the true power of the Sol Emeralds for the first time in her life and taking down the egg-shaped genius and his counterpart. With a little help, of course.

And most important of all- to her even more so than reclaiming her sacred emeralds and returning to her world, a group of heroes had broken her from distant exterior, her once lonely existence left far behind her, along with those nearly four years.

Well, _nearly_...

As much as she would have scoffed at the thought those years ago, she had been eternally indebted to the few of this world who had revealed to her the joys and wonders of friendship, and her visits had been frequent enough to stave off those feelings of loneliness in her life of isolation. Those visits had been noticeably become less often, unfortunately. Even her guide of this world, who had just recently hit her preteens, could figure that much out.

"Are you sure you have to leave so soon, Ms. Blaze?"

The cat had been snapped back from her reminiscing, locking her golden orbs with the quivering cinnamon pair belonging to the younger rabbit close. The puppy eyes she received from the chao on girl's head didn't help matters either. Three visits a year was the minimum, usually staying under the household of selfless Vanilla for a solid month. Hardly half that could be spared this year around.

"Now now, Cream, asking five times isn't going to change someone's answer." The older rabbit, who Blaze could now stand at eye level with, gave a warm smile to both her kin and Blaze. "Though if I could be selfish, dear, it will won't be the same without your trips over here. You've grown on me as you were a second daughter after all."

Vanilla's words triggered one of the handful of moments these few years Blaze had to fight herself, lest the dam finally crumble. "I d-deeply apologize... t-to all of you." the feline muttered shakily as she hung her head, her vision darting every corner of the dual-tailed fox's lab to avoid any and all eye contact. "Usually, one would think getting older would have it's benefits. For one my age, it often would; keeping a kingdom on it's feet, and… a-and all of this responsibility may have fallen onto the wrong shoulders, b-but-"

"But nothin', Blaze!" The cat nearly jumped out of her heels when gloved hand rested on her shoulder. Blaze traced the arm back to the source, catching the blue hedgehog in the act of forming his trademark smirk. If there was one thing impervious to the changes these four years, it was Sonic. "You've got nothing to apologize for, y'know. Anyone in this room can vouch that I couldn't juggle all of these duties even half as well as you can. Now actual juggling and you've got yourself a match!"

The room filled with small laughter, leaving even Blaze unable to crack a smile. It was a wonder how the hedgehog could brighten even the most dreary moods.

"He's right y'know, kitty-cat! Keep tryin' ta lift the world on your scales and loosen up, Vanilla and I will always be waiting right here if ya need to relax." Blaze was sure the crocodile had only come to see her off as an excuse to get closer to the older rabbit. It seemed that whenever Vanilla was near, Vector was only a few feet away watching her from in the bushes.

Or at least that was the case the first year she had come to visit this world. One day, Vanilla must've done something to give the stalking croc enough confidence to watch his "prey" closer. The two had grown closer, even Blaze could see that. Vector seemed much too gentle to wish to hurt her, and both parties looked to be genuinely happy, so who was she to impede with her surrogate mother's life?

Blaze simply ignored the demeaning nickname and nodded, feeling much more at ease than compared to just a few minutes ago. That was, until the two-tailed fox called out from the corner of the room.

"Alright, Blaze, the portal's a go."

It was as if the weight Sonic has managed to distract her from landing on her shoulders once more, but far be it Blaze couldn't ruin her friends' mood. "Thank you, Tails. I'm sure everyone back home will be delighted to, um…"

Sensing the awkwardness in the air, Tails gave a sincere, albeit sympathetic smile. "_Aw_, it's nothing. Be sure to say high to Marine for me, 'kay? I'm curious about the ship blueprints she's made for me this time, and they seem to be improving every year."

A playful smile hinted over Blaze's muzzle. "I'm sure she would be more than happy to hand you them herself. With how much can run from her mouth, it is rather amusing to hear what she might slip up about you…"

Amused enough with the now red hue of Tails' muzzle, Blaze stood before the rather intimidating portal. A light that would once result in a twitch from the feline had begin to spark, soon enveloping the steel frames with a vortex as orange as the Sun itself. It was as if the warm embrace of Sol herself were welcoming Blaze home, not unlike a mother greeting her kin at the door while holding a fresh batch of-

"Blaze?"

Being summoned away from her thoughts with a hint of embarrassment, the flame princess caught eyes with her floppy-eared tour guide once again. Just one look was enough to tighten the chains coiled around her heart. "Do not fret, Cream, I shall perform all within my power to ensure that our next visit to be-"

Instead, the unexpected had hit her not unlike a castle of bricks.

The small rabbit wiped at her forming tears, clearing her throat with a cough before flashing her first sincere smile of the day. "Take as much time as you need, Ms. Blaze. I'll be looking forward to our next encounter!"

Tears did not flow from down Blaze's cheeks like anticipated, a hearty chuckle taking their place, one she had _not _anticipated this coming day, but strangely welcomed. This girl was undoubtedly Vanilla's daughter. "Such a polite young woman you are blossoming into. I look forward to our next meetup as well."

Casting a nod and smile to the rest of her audience, Blaze stood her ground against the portal's illuminessence before finally taking her first step forward. Not before one last heavy thought before parting ways with this foreign dimension, however.

'_Loneliness can only welcome weakness. And as the Princess of Sol, I shall have none of that.'_

**Author's Note: **_So, a few things before we get started!_

_This takes place within the game's canon. Obviously there's a lot about the Sol Dimension I made up, but I would say Blaze and Silver are likely only acquaintances at best. Sorry, folks. I have nothing against Silver or the ship, I swear. :c_

_This will mostly center around Blaze and the OC. Yes, I'm shipping a canon character with an original character of mine. Don't worry, viewers rolling their eyes, the OC isn't (too) overpowered, and his flaws are clear as day. No, he is not a self insert, and like any character, he can lose. I'm also going to try to take their relationship as slow and realistically as possible, especially considering their rough start (was that even a spoiler?)._

_And a few more things I must also point out. This story takes place a couple years later, and every Sonic character has grown within those years. As Vanilla is older and among the tallest Sonic females at 4'2, I'd say that's around the above average height for adult female mobians (a term from the comic, but works well enough). As for males, Sonic is a good 4'3 here, so that's around the average as well. Maybe pointless to point out, but..._

_Anyway, would appreciate any readers to let me know what I'm doing right, as well as what I'm doing wrong (respectfully, please). I sincerely hope you find this read an entertaining one in the least!_


	2. Chapter Two

_**Chapter Two: The Lone Wolf**_

A choir of chirps blew sweetly along the afternoon air. Rays of light had been scattered and broken about onto the grassy floor, barely making their mark through thin beams of light. It had been thanks to the vibrant, prickly leaves, hanging from the menacing branches attached to equally as intimidating trees scattered across the land. The amount of areas that prohibited the shadows from dancing freely along the void forest had been depressingly scarce.

Ear-numbing snores "gracefully" roamed the timberland as well, but we were just getting to that.

One lavender orb revealed to the living world before the next, the culprit's tongue explored along the along the roof of his own mouth before letting out a series of yawns. Next came a hand of bandaged fingers scratching along the dull grey fur of his scalp. Then again. And a few more times after that before peeling his back from the less-than-comfortable standing tree "mattress" suddenly seemed like a good idea.

'_Maybe a pile of leaves could be a better choice next time. It beats trying to sleep sitting up at least …'_

A mental note was made not minutes before the dreary forest was met with an out of place-

_**Boom…**_

Yeah, _that_.

His pointy ears flicked violently at the sound. Were the critters going at it again? _'Hm. Must be pretty intense this time,' _he quipped, staring at his unwilling legs before pondering his next move. _'...Buuuut _mother nature_ will soon work its course. Now, more shut-eye sounds nice and all, but food might be the better__-__'_

_**BOOM**__**…..**_

The violent vibrations from the trees being his only warning, a round, violet fruit dropped onto the wolf's noggin with no remorse, soaking his scalp with an explosion of clear juices.

'_...Wow. Alright, alright, Mrs Nature. Would it've killed nap time was over a little nicer, you selfish_ tart?_'_

Inner pouting ceased, the impassive canine absentmindedly found himself lapping at the tangy liquids rolling down his muzzle.

'_Hm, solves the food issue at least…'_

* * *

Her return had been every bit of "fun" Blaze had imagined it would be.

It had only been in the afternoon and Gordon had not been any more lenient with her return: forced into a frilly pink attire "fit for a princess" to welcome the kingdom's important guests, dining on meals barely filling for a monster while being scolded each time her elbows so much as scrape the pristine marble table, left to of sorting and signing royal documents at an office desk for a solid hour, the works.

"Sure is great to be home," the feline sighed, having to catch herself from the several cases of nearly using formal documents sent by other rivaling nations as her pillow.

All the while her sacred gemstones were locked up within the center of the castle under heavy surveillance. With her absence, she noted. She had been heavily assured- much to her doubt- that the castle guards were more than capable of apprehending any overconfident thieves, but little did it matter to her, as she could easily sense if the emeralds were in danger.

If she could stay conscious long enough to do so anyway.

Any other instance and Blaze would even castigate herself for such a thought, but when on the verge of slamming her head against her desk, maybe then a certain evil mastermind (or two) crashing in wouldn't be the worst thing in the world…

"_GAAH!_ How many trees need to blow up just to navigate this worthless heap of **dirt**?!"

One more angry slam against the cockpit's interior would be all it would take before his beautiful moustache was in danger of being yanked from his very lips. Several rounds of ammunition later and barely any progress had been made navigating to the center of the forest.

Flying too high over the enormous trees is all the excuse the island needed to employ it's "camouflage". The machine being piloted had been much too bulky to slip through most of the accused lumber.

And if matters couldn't be worse, only minutes would fly by before the a fallen log would dissolve into the earth, leaving a new tree standing proudly in it's place.

"_Oh_, I guess it only demonstrates just how powerful this island's treasure really is," the egg-shaped genius sneered, chills raking through his body as a result of the many twisted thoughts racing around in his evil little head. "Just being planted here and this disgusting island of trees more than thrives from such a glorious flower of destruction! Truly spectacul-"

_Fwish._

_**AGH!**_"

**Thunk**.

If the mad scientist hadn't ducked under his seat in the nick of time… he simply shuddered at the thought of where the flying bladed object would be lodged in place of the unsuspecting tree. Was his mind playing tricks on him, or had a sudden dagger just launched at him from thin air-

_Fwish!_

"_Nononotagain!_"

**Thunk!**

Hesitantly raising his head, he scanned the forest to find two things. A dark purple handle was stuck in the hovercraft, it's blade hidden within the ship's metal.

The next was found on at the forest floor; a figure stood below, some sort of mutt from the looks of it, peering up with bored, tired violet eyes. Very tired. It was uncertain if it was going to pass out on the spot rather than make due of it's bladed threats.

"So, it was **you**." the man said with venom, combing his white moustache with his gloved fingers. "Will you please knock that off! It's hard enough having to tear down these self-repairing trees without some psychopath trying to kill me! But now that I mention it, this island is supposed to be vacant of sentient life. You count as sentient, right? If you don't mind, I suggest you address yourself so I at least know who I'll be turning into _kibble_."

Maybe she was one of Blaze's friends…. _'Hehehe! _Blaze_! _Friends_?! You are too rich, Nega!'_

The canine pondered whether throwing another knife was the best decision. It had been years- half a decade since meeting eyes with one capable of speech. He cleared his throat; maybe it was time to put his own rusty voice box to work.

"...Leave."

The scientist raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"Leave." the newcomer repeated. "Will not miss next time."

"_Oh-ho_?!" Now he was amused. "You have quite some nerve talking down to _Doctor Eggman Nega_, you primitive little mongrel! It's a shame that you won't be around to watch me take over this planet, and every dimension that stands in my way! _He He He_, it's going to be glorious, I tell you! Now, without any further due, get a load of th-"

**SLAM.**

"_?!_"

_Shunk!_

"_H-Hey_! You get your fur tangled rump down from there this insta_aa-Aaaah_! **No**! Not the engines, you stupid mu_uuuuUUUUUTT!_"

The bulky hovercraft had now been a rapidly spinning comet of metal doom, the wolf held onto the knife handle lodged into the furious jet for dear life. Not the most brilliant plan of his, but longer he was forced to sit and listen to the fat man's ramblings, the more he wanted him off the island. Stabbing was up there as well, though the act should've have awarded him a better situation than this at least…

"_YYYYOOUUUUU LIIITTTLLLLLLE PPEEEEEEESSSSSSTTT!_" Finger just barely making it to the button, six missiles desperately launched into the air, not a single one making their target as they each launched to separate corners of the island. With one last frantic attempt, Eggman Nega's finger pushed past the opposite momentum with all of its might to hit one last button: the backup jets.

Jets that were obviously not meant to handle the stress of the main ones as well, which had only been realized once the wolf ripped the knife from the problematic booster, miraculously unjamming the stored pressure and launching a screaming Nega off the island giant island and into the ocean depths, hovercraft and all…

It took several attempts for the wolf to regain his balance, and several more keeping the contents of his stomach in place. The headache he now suffered had not stopped the questions bouncing around in his head; who was that strange looking man? What was his purpose here? Were all those of the outside world that crazy? At the cost of his motor skills, at least his island was safe once more.

And hopefully, whatever the madman had shot off in the midst of their gyrating frenzy would not make for any long-term problems for the future of _Kodoku Forest_…

'_Guess I should go looking for where those things landed.'_ …. "_Riiiiight_ after my second evening nap of the day…"

* * *

"Oi, blimey! Let me go, ya sods! I'll have ye know I saved the _princess_ and the world once! Strewth! _**Strewth**_!"

"Don't care, kid. Princess Blaze has much work to be done without the need for distractions, now run along and…"

Groggily separating her cheek from the accumulated pool of drool, she could've sworn she'd heard the voice of…

Getting up from her desk of many, _many _unread documents, Blaze walked into the pristine hallway to have her suspicions confirmed.

Fortunately- and enough so for Blaze to nearly crack a smile, she had also come to witness her guards rocketed off from a torrent of water shot from a nearby fountain. One would chalk it up to a faulty drain pipes, or maybe even the town pranksters (once _again) _reversing the sewage systems connected to the castle, but the feline knew all too well…

"W-Wha- what jus-"

"_Ha!_ Come a gutser messin' wit a lass that can turn yer drinking glass into a weapon, ya blokes!"

One of the guards was already back on his feet, his eye in a frenzy of twitches. "Why you little… You'll make a nice coonskin hat for the princess by the time I-"

Without even the chance to blink, the royal feline in mention flickered into existence between her men and the "culprit", astonishing both parties with her graceful speed. "That's quite enough," she spoke, her sight flicking to her guards, "_All_ of you. I appreciate the concern, but I can take it from here."

"But your highness, need I remind you that your schedule is busy enough as is? Sol knows if Gordon hears about-!"

A sudden cold joltage traveled down through the base of their spines; dark flames licked close to the cat's fur, adding to the hellish glare of her slit golden orbs. "And need I remind **you**," her tone dripping with poison, "that I am by no means Gordon's puppet? _Now_, I will _**take it from here**_. Are there any _other _problems you need address…?"

"_N-N-No_, sir- _ah_, _ma'am_!" Both guards said in unison, sweat rolling violently down their muzzles.

"Good to hear. You are _dismissed_."

No confirmation was given once the guards traveled down the hallway and out of sight, a pace fueled by pure fear…

"Fair suck of the sav… Y' sure are quite a spook when defending-" was all that made it out of the raccoon's lips before the feline turned her sights on her, leaving her to face the same scowl that previously sent two hardened soldiers before her to their cribs.

It had lasted much shorter than prior to her luck, leaving Blaze massaging her bridge of her nose with a sigh. After all, she had been the one to find humor at the sight of her men being washed away by a mere _preteen_.

"As happy as I am to see that you've been practicing your powers, Marine," Blaze started dejectedly, "they had brought up a crucial point. I have no time to play games with-"

"_Aw_ c'mon," Marine shot back with a disheartening frown, "'zit a stinkin' _crime _for a lass to visit 'er best mate once n' a red sun?"

Any show of anger with the raccoon had been sucked dry from Blaze's face, leaving her to only slump against the wall with yet another sigh. "I… I don't know. That could very well be the case for all I know…"

Marine frowned at her friend once again, pulling nervously at her orange pigtails; Blaze's sulking just had to be as contagious as those dastardly _cooties_. The raccoon decided she'd swat away her pride just this once, it wasn't as if Blaze's life had even a sliver of the freedom when compared to her own after all, or at least now that Marine herself hadn't been trapped anymore…

Marine suddenly beamed, remembering why she had come down to the castle in the first place. "Oi, matey, how's about get outta here n' hit the ol' _briny_? I cooked up anotha' wave rider that I wanna show off!"

Needing a few seconds to decipher what her friend's speech, Blaze gave a look of being even more confused than before. "Marine… did I not just tell you that I have my own set of responsibilities that I must cater to, and now you're inviting me to go out on the ocea-"

"_Right-o_!" the young coon confirmed, not a hint of shame found in her obliviously sincere grin. "Betta' to have a fun princess than a dead one, mate! I fair dinkum you'll work ya'self to death if ya get rid a' all the fun life has to offer! _Strewth_!"

As much as she wished she could protest, Blaze knew it was a pointless effort trying to reason with the eccentric girl. Her lips curled into what one would assume to be a smile, had it really been more than a smidget different from the cat's usual no-nonsense expression.

"I… guess I shall take you up on this offer. Do not make a habit of this I warn, this changes nothing..." hoping it was as obscure as possible from the raccoon, an inner turmoil of emotions fought within Blaze's stomach. _'What in Sol's name am I doing? You know that your duties lie elsewhere… But how could the life you're leading now be any more dignified for the guardian of the _Sol Emeralds_? You weren't meant to live the life of a princess… But I _am _a princess, and nothing I can will change that… but…'_

If Blaze's words had made it through, Marine clearly ignored the signs. "We'll see about that! Ya ain't a member of Marine's crew fer nothin', so see this as pullin' yer weight!"

For the first time since traveling back to her dimension, a full smile finally made it onto Blaze's muzzle. Not without a set of rolled eyes, of course. "_Heh_. I can't wait…"

* * *

"-_**aaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!**_"

_**SPLASH!**_

It hadn't been as long a fall as the mustached man had thought, hanging onto dear life as his hovercraft slowly adjusted to the waves and chose the life of a watercraft instead.

Sure the hunk of metal was sturdy enough, Eggman Nega put on a sinister sneer, lifting his now crossed legs over the windshield. "Impressive, I must give him that much. That wolf may even be a greater threat than I had anticipated. However…"

Nega had to fight to cease his twisted cackles. "It looks like he was _fooled _by my little act all the same! You've unknowingly set the gears straight into motion, you gaurdian _mutt_…"

"And 'ere we are! Ain't she just a _beaut'_?"

Blaze had stared into the sleek reflective surface of her friend's handbuilt jet-ski. Her eyes followed along with the brown arrows painted on that lead to the small boat's hood, complimenting it's orange coat rather nicely. She had even found herself admiring the bronze leather handles just below it's lavender-tinted windshield.

Admittingly, Blaze was colored impressed.

"It's… nice. I just hope for your sake it runs as nicely as it's decorated." Knowing Marine's previous track record, however... "…_So_, how many tries did _this _one take?"

"Oh cram a furball in it why don'cha…. I wager a about _five _'er so?"

"_Hm…_ just five this time around then?"

The raccoon bit her lip, failing to keep a straight face under the watch of the feline's judging, calculating golden orbs. "Or maybe _six_… or _eight_…"

"Sounds about right…" Though this did raise another question… "What name did you give it- _erm_... _her_?"

"The _S.S Super-Marine!_"

"_Um_-"

"-the _Second!_"

Blaze's eyebrows furrowed into a look of disturbance. "Dare I ask what happened to the _First_?"

"She's…" Marine wiped a single tear from the corner of her eye with a gloved finger. "Poor sheila's no longer among us…"

Blaze sighed. "May I ask what happened _this _time?"

"_Bugger_ off."

"_**Marine!**_"

"Fine! I crashed her! Y'happy now?."

"And you crashed her into…?"

"A… _palm tree_."

"I-In… the middle of the _ocean?_"

"Never brought up the ocean, now did I?"

The feline was rendered speechless. For the first time to ever cross Blaze's mind in her life, maybe the less pursued, the better…

"_So_," Marine broke the small silence with ease, "ready ta give it a good burl?!"

It was amazing how quick this girl could change a topic, which relieved Blaze to know she wouldn't have had to herself. Relived, however, until the feline pieced Marine's words together. "Wait a second, you want me to…"

It was also impressive the raccoon could sense her sudden distress when her waves of elation paralleled the ocean's. "Lighten up, mate! I'll do the drivin', you do the… hangin' on, I gather. She'll be 'right!"

Blaze wasn't so sure about that. Not only did she only promise Marine a trip and back, but her powers would weaken considerably if were to fall in, leaving her at her most vulnerable in case of an invasion. Or worse, _Nega_. Then again, neither of those occurrences have happened for a good, long while, so maybe she was simply overthinking things-"

"I'm _waaaaitinnng_…."

Of all the habits to pick up from that hedgehog… "...Very well. As long as we're not out for too long. And make sure to drive carefully and avoid any-"

"I know, blimey!" Marine groaned, exasperated as she couldn't suppress rolling her eyes. From there, the coon hopped onto the leather seat just long enough for two, patting the end for Blaze to come forth. "Nothin'll go wrong, cross me heart… _mum_."

Blaze pursed her lip. "You're treading on rather thin ice, missy."

"Well ya ain't disproving my point!"

Before the feline could open her mouth, Marine was one step ahead and revving the thunderous engines. Blaze would have even took time to notice the newfound strength the fresh new motor had been implemented with, but by then the two were already speeding off from the docks at blistering speeds.

And they made their way; the sea red with the sunset's gleaming reflection, the powerful humming of the engine with the waves following suit,and the regal and mighty princess of flames left grabbing on claws deep for dear life…

"Oi! Y'gonna ruin the paint job, mate!"

…

It hadn't been quite as dreadful as the feline recalled.

Getting passed the constant bullets of salt water splashing against her lavender coat, the crisp ocean breeze caressing her face as she stared off into the endless red sea was an experience that could not be explained on it's own. The engine's hums were loud enough to drown out her own thoughts, but in turn wisped away the stress brought upon her by her royal duties. That alone nearly accounted for both previous cons...

_Oh_, but you could bet her cat instincts were screaming at Blaze to let it be over as soon as possible…

"_M-...Marine_?" Blaze piped up, just barely audible over the engine's tune. "Would it time for us to t-turn around soon?"

The raccoon had to struggle to stifle a chuckle that was likely to set off Blaze's fuming temper. "Keep ya nickers on, cat!" It was then, however, that Marine had thought of a fun way to get "payback" that would be sure to make up for how often her invitations to hang out were brushed off. It was going to make a certain kitty more than furious, but the laughs to be had would be more than worth it.

Blaze's soon to be wet fur would also put out - quite literally- any fear of getting burned on the bum for this, which was always a bonus.

A shiver went down Blaze's spine when she realized the jet-ski was gradually speeding up. She was no foreigner when it came to speed. _Overseas_, however... "Marine?!"

"_Yesss_?" the coon sung innocently.

The feline's face was now wrought with worry. "You don't happen to thi_IIINK WE'RE GOING A LITTLE FA-__**AAAAAAHH**__!_"

"Pardon?! Bloomin' engine's fillin' me eardrums with how fast we're goin'!"

"_EXACTLY THE __**POINT **__THAT I AM TRYING TO_- _?!_" Prehaps she had been too preoccupied with- for a lack of better word, _panicking_, but… "Has that island always been- "

With the sudden burst of speed, Blaze was sure she'd have launched into the sunset had she not been grabbing on for dear life.

"_**MARINE! SLOW THE HELL DOWN BEFORE WE CRASH INTO TH-"**_

But all cries were lost on deaf ears; a blueish green light had begun to encoat Marine's hand, as she tipped down just right to drive and run her glowing fingers along the ocean blue. What would've been a light splash turned into large, nine foot tall wave that could have easily trumped the two mobians in size. With a little control on the orange coon's end, the riptide along the sea morphed into what Blaze could only guess was a _ramp_...

She could not muster the protests from her throat, only watch as Marine accelerated more and more before Blaze felt as if she had been lifted against her will, along with preteen at the wheel of the _S.S. Super Marine… _the _Second_.

"_WAHOOOOOOO!_"

"_MAAARIIIIINNE!_"

Once in mid air, Blaze had but a millisecond to notice that the engine had completely shut off once they had been a good twenty feet airborne. A sudden nitrous of speed from a hidden jet, as well as a well timed turn was all it took to catch the cat off guard, sending Blaze launching off the spinning airborne jet-ski with a loud-

_**SPLASH**__…_

Once the small boat landed with a heavy splash of it's own, a smile a mile wide was imbedded into Marine's muzzle, even if she had to place a hand on her head to deal with her now dizzy vision.

"_AHAHAHAHA!_ That was absolutely _ripper!_" Marine howned at the top of her lungs, nearly falling off the jet-ski doing so. "C'mon now, mate! Gotta admit I got ya good… Blaze?"

Turning her head every direction, not once did her cerulean eye spot a hint of lavender. "Blaze? _Blaaaze_?! This ain't funny, lass! You'd better not be tryin' ta trick me!"

The irony being that Marine would be thrilled if this were just a game was not lost.

"Oh… Oh _cripes_…"

* * *

**Thump! Thump! Thump!**

"Ugh, is the damn door jammed?! That egg-shaped fatass had better be willing to pay extra for this…"

The gruff, but feminine voice coming from inside the missile-like pod only sighed sighed before the air was filled with a silence. Seconds later, a gloved claw pierced the metal door as if it were wet paper, paired with a frustrated groan as the the door fell to the forest floor.

What had emerged from the pod was a tall, rather toned female _lion _with piercing red eyes. A black tank top hugged nicely over her golden fur, along with her brown cargo pants and black military boots. She popped her strong, slender fingers together before pounding her fist into her dirty brown, fingerless gloved palm. "I'm telling ya, enclosed spaces should be a condition we're payed figgen top dollar for…"

"We'll be needing to give Nega a _refund _if you handle that pod any rougher, Garnet…"

The lion's attention was drawn over to the _Asian Golden cat_ walking over to her. The newcomer's fur was a flaming orange, with the few rust markings and light splotches of white in places like her lower muzzle and chest. All of this wrapped together with a rather unenthused expression in her jonquil yellow eyes. Which- considering how long Garnet had known her, was nothing out of the ordinary.

"We're thieves for hire, Shoot, we don't do refunds," Garnet replied as she had begin to stretch her arms. "'Sides, damn thing was jammed."

"_Hm_. Very well," she started, still looking disinterested by the world around her , "I just hope we won't have to wait long for Dots to pick up the others. You know how she likes to fool around…"

"Tell me about it."

"Aw, come on now! Don't be so harsh on the poor thing…" Now it was both the lion and the golden cat's turn to give their attention to their new audience member. A petite _Bay cat_ with radiant chestnut fur stood with a cute, kittenish smile below her cold, light blue orbs. "After all, Dots is among the few of us who still remembers how to have fun."

"_Hm_." she folded her arms, "_"Fun"_ isn't what gets the _Felid Fatale_ by, Topaz," Shoot depaningly scolded.

The Bay snickered, blowing a lock of her shortcut chestnut hair from her face. "If you say so," Topaz rolled her eyes before setting them on the big cat. "Y'nervous?"

"What about you," Garnet hardened her features defensively, "you'd better keep your head on why we're getting paid. And for once, try not to flirt with the guardian of this island. We're meant to steer clear of him for the time being."

"Oh yeah!" Topaz's small ears perked with excitement. "Sure hope he's cute! Y'know, for a _mutt_."

"S'pose I was asking too much…"

"And you'd be correct, miss _leader_!"

Deep red eyes drifting elsewhere, they softened from irritated to a more serious tone as the lion clenched a fist. "Yeah, ya got that right…"

**Author's Note: **_I hope this is the chapter that makes it apparent that I cannot write Australians for shit._

_Seriously, I apologize if that annoyed you or anything. I'm not too familiar with the accent and vocabulary, and even less familiar writing it. Did my best though, so I hope it's at least tolerable. Been a while since I've played Sonic Rush Adventures after all._

_I'm not promising that this will be a frequently updated side project, but it'll be a finished at least, I swear on that. _

_Yeah, I dunno why I try either…_

_Read and Review! It would definitely increase my drive for this story~!_


	3. Chapter Three

_** Moongaze14:**_ _I appreciate the kind words! Glad to know I'm doing a fairly good job with this little project! 8D_

_**Chapter Three: The Forest Of Emptiness [pt. 1]**_

"_Ugh_, my head…"

On her hands and knees, droplets of water rolling onto the sand, she counted her lucky stars, simply thankful for the shore being so close to where she had landed. "When I dry off, Marine…" she stopped to cough, tightly gritting her fangs, "you'll _wish _it could just a sunburn…"

It took a wave of silence to even acknowledge how quiet it had become until-

"_Blaaaaaze! _Blaze, get off ya furry bum and get ova' here!"

It took a loud engine underlined by a familiar voice to get Blaze to her feet, scanning the sea in front of her until spotting the source of the shouts; the coon girl was merely a few yards away on her jet-ski, snapping her head every which direction as if she were searching for something.

But… why would that be? "…Marine? What in the name of Sol could she be…" Either Marine needed to be appointed an eye examination, or needn't do more than just look in front of her- "W-Wait! Marine!"

The feline's cries fell on deaf ears, however, as she watched the jet-ski ride off where Blaze's eyes couldn't follow, driven by her hyperactive friend, and only way home…

"Marine…" A whirlwind of emotions danced in the confines of Blaze's stomach.

Abandonment; '_Could Marine have… left me here? Was I not of any value to continue her search any longer…?'_

Worry; '_M-My only ride just… How am I s-supposed to get back to the castle? O-Or Lead the kingdom? Or protect the Sol Emeralds from those who wish to abuse their power?!'_

Hurt; '_How dare she… after guilt tripping me into doing what she wanted to do, Marine would dare leave me to fix _her _mess?!'_

Remorse; '_How… How could I even think such a thing? Shirking my responsibilities was one thing, but trying to pin the blame on her when Marine only wished to alleviate my stress? What kind of friend am I…'_

_No_. She would not let herself fall victim to her inner turmoil. "Take deep breaths, Blaze. You have trained yourself to deal with much worse…"

Blaze took control of her heartbeat, hell-bent on grabbing hold of her emotions at all cost. Weakness was _not _something Blaze would allow to cloud her judgement any further…

"...Okay." A sigh departed from Blaze's lips, sure that she was now in control. Turning her back on the sea, she took in the view of the keep, seemingly endless row of trees more than half the height of her family's castle. "Perhaps the answer to getting off this island lies within this forest…"

Blaze brought her hand to her lips, biting the nail of her gloved finger. "Or… maybe not at all, but either way I'm sure to find at least _something _of interest."

Arching a brow, Blaze started forward into the dreary forest with a single thought in her mind. '_Perhaps a good start being how such an island could go undetected for so long...'_

* * *

"_Yaahooo!_ So good to see you girls again, it was hella cramped in that stupid pod-thingie! _Felid Fatale_ united once again~!"

The tall, thin cheetah rushed around to give the other five felines a bonecrushing embrace. Even the dark green spots plastered over her yellow-green coat seemed as though they were dancing with glee along with the rest of her body.

Shoot, while an aloof expression was almost always painted on her face, couldn't help but form a timid smile. "We were only separated for a good half hour, Peridot dear…"

"And a half hour too long!"

"Yeah yeah, this is _puke-tastically_ touching and all, but can ya get this shtick on the road?" The small _Sand Dune cat_ tapped her foot with impatience. She wore a light brown vest over her pale blue shirt, complimenting her sandy fur and rose-colored eyes. "Yo Opal, ya hid those other damn pods, right? Come n' get this 'un already."

"O-Oh, alright…" The timid _snow leopard_ had begun to walk over to Garnet's pod as asked, lightly looping her long, snow-white hair with each step.

Meanwhile, the tired grey wolf acted one with the shadows in a nearby tree, heavily observing his intruders' movements. '_Six; all female, and all feline. This shouldn't be so hard…'_

The leopard, however, managed to nearly cause the wolf to swallow his own tongue.

The wolf watched as she felt around until her palms landed on the metal, noting her poor eyesight. "_Blizzard Whiteout!_"

And with that, the large chunk of metal had… disappeared.

'_Impossible… the scent is gone as well. It's as if she erased it from existence.'_ The wolf reached a bandage-wrapped hand into the holster on his leg. '_Looks like I found my first target...'_

A sudden jolt ran down Shoot's spine. Acting out of pure instinct, the Asian Golden leaped in front of her teammate and, at a speed even the wolf could barely follow, reached into the medical pouch on her side and launched a single pin needle with enough accuracy and power to deflect the airborne shive-like dagger, causing nearly everyone within one hundred miles to jump.

The snow leopard's fur looked as though her tail were caught in an electric socket, random sections of her body turning invisible not unlike a nervous auto-defence mechanism. "_W-W-W-What_ is going on?!"

"_Hm_. Enough hiding!" Shoot spat, "I'm more than willing to set you up with a free acupuncture…"

The wolf's tired, heavy eyes grew wide and alert. If he had possessed a larger range of emotion, it'd be clear as day just by examining his features that the canine now understood the danger this group of cats held for his forest. '_Look's like normal methods… won't work with them. Scary…'_

Deciding to comply with the feline's warning, the wolf leaps from the tree and landed skillfully to the forest floor in front of them. "You are strong. English isn't so great, but how did you sense me? And what be this _ack-you-punk-chair_ you speak of?"

A small squeal escaped Topaz's lips. "_Oh!_ He is cute~!" That is, until her nose twitched, leaving her flushed with green as opposed to red. "Albeit… he could use a bath…"

"Don't play coy with me," a venom underlining her normally deadpanned tone, Shoot's now glowing, slit-pupiled orbs narrowed, alit not unlike a golden bar. "I noted your presence from the start. I am not called the _Queen of Detail_ among us for nothing. _Hm._"

The wolf hadn't known what to make of these cats, though had already held two of the six as dangerous. Alas, a yawn had escaped his lips, working the cricks out of his neck before turning his lavender eyes back to Ms. _Detail_. "You seem strong. I cannot let you leave with your life."

A small spark lit within the cheetah girl's eyes, her mouth curling into an childlike, yet somehow _eerie _smile. "Oh, Oh! I've been wanting to get rid of the urge to _win _for days!"

"B-B-But… we were told not to f-face him head on yet, Dots!" a panicking Opal interjected.

The sand dune cat, however, folded her arms with with a huff. "Like it mattas'! He don't so tough to me…"

The wolf turned to the feline half his size, tired expression unwavering. "You may leave. I do not wish to harm a little one."

Silence registered for what felt like a millennium, the rest of the six getting ready for the cringeworthy scene to play out.

A vein protruded from the Napoleon cat's temple. "Little one…. Do you think… I'm some sort of _kid_?! I'm of _drinking _age, you **brat**!" The small, metallic pack on her back had begun to shape itself; twin metallic claws emerged from the backpack, taking two small, fuming,and angry missiles out with them as if a physical manifestation of rage. "Yer ass is _**grass**_! MY _DESERT TYPHOON_'LL MAKE **MINCEMEAT **OUTTA' YA!"

"Amethyst, _NO!_" Dots speedily rushed over, frantically attempting to restrain of the much smaller cat, "You'll blow all of us up at this rate! Happy thoughts! _HAPPY THOUGHTS!_"

The wolf hadn't moved an inch… still unsure what to make of these _Felid_ characters. Maybe this had been normal of the outside world. It had been nearly seven years since having achieved this long of social interaction with what wasn't simply the wildlife of the forest, far be it for him to make sense of such a scene…

What perked his interest the most, however, came from the lion resting on her log, not once revealing her eyes from her shut lids. It was unsure if she felt no need to entertain herself with everything around her, or if she had been demonstrating the skills of a perfect hunter, simply waiting to strike when the time was-

"Way t'go, cutie. Now it'll take ages to get her to shut up…" The canine couldn't help feel unnerved, inching himself from the flirtatious Bay attempting to lean against his shoulder. "No need to be shy, big guy! Name's Topaz; that bump on a log leader of ours would be _Garnet_, but I can make for a good enough distraction from her if you'd let me…"

'_Distraction...'_ Passing a small glance back the the lion, a chill ran down his back when the lion's gaze had now bared on him.

The pieces of Topaz's words now clicking together, the wolf readied himself for battle… had it not been for a scream in the faraway distance catching his attention. "...!"

"_Now_, Garnet!"

Snapping his head back to face the Bay, much to his horror, the petite Topaz had been replaced by the muscular female lion who beat his height by quite a few inches; the wolf could only prepare to guard the incoming palm thrust in action, but what unsettled him more was the strange shift of the air coating her hand. "_Jungle Spear!_"

Once their bodies made contact, the wolf felt the ground shift under his feet, sending him flying indefinitely under the mercy of the lion's monstrous strength. Seconds passing and several yards later hadn't changed his situation, as the six felines were now too far for his vision to follow.

In a desperate act, the wolf dug his dagger into the dirt, slowly but surely slowing his descent until he had finally come to a halt. By that time, the forearm used to block the strike pounded with a numbing pain, leaving the wolf working his bandaged hands and fingers to regain feeling.

"_Kuso. _They must not get away…" he gave a light snarl, sprinting full speed ahead to discover an empty plain surrounded by the several tower-high trees. 'Gone… No, they're around here somewhere, I-"

"_Gwaaah!_ Nice bunny! _STAY_, bunny!"

His ears flicked, locking them onto the location of this new voice. '_Now you're mine…'_

**Author's Notes: **_This one's relatively shorter than I'd planned, which is because I've cut this chapter into two parts. Writer's block didn't necessarily help the matter. Anyway, next chapter's coming tomorrow, and it's muuuuch longer!_

_Reviews would be very much appreciated~!_


	4. Chapter Four

_**Chapter Four: The Forest Of Emptiness [pt. 2]**_

"_Hm…_ abnormal or not, a rabbit is still a rabbit I suppose…"

Treading down the narrow path lined with trees- now at a more reasonably cautious pace, there were quite a few aspects about this strange forest island that raised as many questions as it answered for the lavender feline:

Sol energy riddled every oak-like tree triumphing over four story buildings, every lavender fruit nearly as big as her head, every exotic plant sprouted or coiling the trees, and every wild, unkempt blade of grass this island had to offer island; the energy so thick in the air, it even caused a fog thick enough to shroud the entire island from wandering eyes.

Being a guardian herself, it could be sensed down to the last grain of soil. She did not sense it, however, before landing on this floating patch of dirt riddled trees '_Not farfetched to say this power holds resemblance to Chaos energy as well,'_ Blaze thought as she recalled the speedy hedgehog's world.

What with the fog being so powerful that it nearly blocked the sun's rays, giving the forest a naturally murky atmosphere… Blaze didn't need to become a mind reader to tell this island wouldn't be the most _ideal _vacation resort. Not that anyone would even find it.

This information had also sprouted the theory as to the feral rabbit she'd encountered not even an hour ago, and one that nearly broke her height once lifting itself on it's hind legs. '_These odd plants and fruit are, too, bursting to pop with energy. Herbivores are mutated by those, allowing carnivores to share the same fate once digesting the herbivores…'_

She couldn't help but cringe at the mere thought of running into an critter who didn't mind viewing her as a midday snack. And due to the abundance of flammable nature, a _forest fire_ was not something Blaze wished to add to the many other scenarios that could lead to her doom, spawning an eating feeling of defencelessness.

Unfortunately, the intel. gathered still failed to uncover the _source _of this energy. Despite her feline curiosity, Blaze decided best that she not stray far from the shore she had washed up from. She would later take her chances with these strange fruit, then start a fire with where no plant life would have to suffer.

'_Come to think of it, even the _sand _is of the color__-_ _?!'_

_Fwish!_

Blaze tilted her torso to narrowly avoid the small object speedily aimed for her neck.

**Thunk**

She whipped her head back just in time to catch a small blade dug into the ground. The handle pointed at a slant should have given away what- or who- had fired it, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that they had been on the move.

Before she could completely scan the area, Blaze quickly leap backwards to avoid the second dagger nearly impaled into her foot. One after the next, a second wave was fired off, forcing Blaze to hop and watch each step she took.

Space to maneuver had grown scarce, as the feline found herself backing towards one of the many trees littering the forest. Letting her unrivaled agility solve the rest, Blaze kicked off the wall of bark and launched her body airborne, leaving the path of blades in the dust.

Her skin was next to jump, as Blaze had now been staring dead into the eyes of a figure of shadow, it's claw inches from grabbing her white muzzle. Movement not unlike that of dancing, Blaze made the motion of a midair pirouette to avoid her attacker and slip a counter, slamming all the force of her spinning frame into a kick to the back of the figure's head as gravity pulled her back down.

Her heels skidding through the grass and dirt before coming to a halt, Blaze locked her sights on the figure across from her, crashing to the ground with a heavy _thump_.

Seconds flew by as the cloud of dirt had begun to clear, allowing Blaze a good look the culprit; back turned to Blaze, she couldn't help but trace the many scars lining their back. Body structure undoubtedly male, his back had been a much darker hue of black then the rest of his unkempt grey coat, shown as he turned to face his target.

His white, canine muzzle had been partially hidden by a long scarf, sharing the tone of his bored, fatigued lavender eyes. What could be seen under the scarf was his soft stomach matching the muzzle in color, it too not exempt of scars.

What caught her eye the most were his large, bandage wrapped hands, not a finger unwrapped as the cloth stopped up to his forearms, leaving nothing below in plain sight. If most of his scars were out in the open, she couldn't help but wonder what lie behind the gauze…

A loud crack escaped the wolf's neck, as he lazily rolled his head around before rubbing the spot Blaze had managed to land a kick. "Not bad," he muttered, "Could be better."

Ignoring his comment, Blaze entered a stance to prepare against what was likely just the beginning. "You don't want to do this," she started, working hard to suppress the faint growl hidden behind her curt tone. "I would much rather find my way off of this heap of floating _dirt_. Now, may I ask whom I am facing with so that I may ask your assistance to-"

"You cats are one and the same," the wolf interjected as he crouched into a stance, placing an open palm before him with the other curled beside his stomach. "And I shall not be caught off guard by your kind again."

Before she could question his remark, the wolf narrowed his eyes, his lavender orbs sending a chill down Blaze's spine. "_**Die**_."

With a single powerful step, the wolf had launched himself towards Blaze with not a hint of second thought. Blaze stood at the defencive, dodging wave after wave his palm-strike flurry. His speed was impressive, but next to nothing compared to her own. She knew, however, dodging each strike would waste too much stamina; blocking would be the wiser option at this rate, then a counterattack would be within her grasp.

Raising an arm to guard, such confidence wavered, as a gauze-wrapped palm made impact with enough force behind the strike send her entire body flying backwards at great momentum, her heels dragging violently through the dirt before coming to a stop. As though her instincts screamed at her to do so, Blaze dived herself to the ground.

Glancing ever so slightly to her rear, her golden orb caught the sight of the wolf, who had managed to get behind Blaze in the midst of her soaring. He had missed a horizontal slice at her neck, and judging by how the dagger rolled along his fingers, he planned to rectify his mistake with a downward stab.

A jolt of pressure pulsed into the arm she had used to block, doing her best to ignore the pain as she hoisted herself into a one-armed handstand, balance only obtained with years of constant practice on her side. Kicking the wolf's arm to loosen his grip on the knife, Blaze quickly made use of her spare foot to smash it against his cheek with a bloodcurdling _thwack_. With her unexploited limb, she brought her other hand to work as she twisted the ground with all of her strength, twirling herself and pushing off the ground beneath her in an effort to create distance between her and the dangerous foe.

Just as the tip of her heel planted onto the forest floor, Blaze noticed that the wolf had managed to catch the tip of the dagger's handle in between his fingertips as through they were a pair of scissors. A swift flick of the wrist later and the knife shot off, blade moments from digging into the feline's supple flesh…

A fresh droplet of red liquid sprinkled onto a blade of forest grass.

The cat was rump first in the tall grass in ragged breaths, grazing the tip of her gloved finger against the light stream of blood rolling down her fuzzy white cheek. She wished not to allow the thought of almost being unable to clasp the knife in her fingers just in the nick of time to cross her mind…

'_So, is that his game...'_ Blaze tightened her facial features, not once letting the canine leave her line of sight. '_He's an _all-around _type, slightly leaning on the scale of _power_. Those palm strikes of his are powerful, but not fatal,'_ she narrowed her eyes, '_but that is what the throwing knives are for, to create enough distance to finish me off…'_

"I'm sure you have claws of some sort under such hands as those," she deepened her tone to a growl. Unlike a certain hedgehog, Blaze was not one to openly mock her opponent so carelessly. If her curiosity was to be peaked, however, then so be it. "Do you use the blades out of self assurance? Afraid you could never even _reach _me on your own?"

Once again, a tired look washed over the wolf's expression as he lifted the hand to his right. "Do not kid. Would not waste these hands on a backwash _scavenger_."

Unbeknownst to her, Blaze couldn't hold back the corner of her mouth curling into a hard-edged grin. "Interesting. But since I'm stuck on this _dirtball_, I'd like to know just who it is that has the family jewels to face-off against the Sol-chosen _protector _of this world."

"_Protector_? Do not make me laugh," the wolf glowered slightly, dipping his fingers within the pouches strapped to his legs. "I am the sole guardian of _Kodoku Forest _and all of it's power. Title here means _nothing_. Would be waste telling you further. Shall not live long enough to use information."

The wolf crossed his arms around his shoulders, a knife held between each finger. Throwing herself back on her feet, the dagger still gripped tightly in her hand, Blaze held the blade in a low stance, ready for whatever the wolf would throw at her. Quite _literally_. '_I know not of what importance this place holds. I mustn't rely on my flames, lest I put this entire island in peril…'_

Unexpected of him, the knives held by the wolf had split themselves into halves before being thrown in double the number anticipated by the feline. Blaze was forced to exert full use of her superior speed and agility to avoid the constant line of fire from the dozens upon dozens of blades. In the corner of her eyes, Blaze could barely follow the shadowed figure of the wolf, skillfully masking himself within the storm of projectiles.

With each knife now cluttering the grassy floor, Blaze stood in heavy breaths as she scanned for her opponent. Her purple tailcoat in tears, but otherwise little blood to be spilt. _'He kept up his movement, as not to reveal his location through the direction of his throws. Clever, for an island dweller.'_

Swiftly tossing her arm backwards with blade in hand, a ear-piercing _**clank**_ replaced the silence as her attacker's blade clashed with her own. The two sheets of metal fought with equal durability. Blaze, however, notably found no mercy against the canine's much greater strength.

"Unlike one s-such as… yourself…" In one quick motion, Blaze allowed herself to drop the handle of her weapon; sidestepping from the might of his swing, the feline threw all of her weight into an earth-shattering kick to the wolf's face, nearly dropping him to a knee. "I make use only with what I have been given. Weapons are typically _not _my way."

Sliding the toe of her shoe in direction opposite of her previous strike, Blaze made use of her opponent's daze to launch an even more powerful swing of her leg against the other side of the wolf's cheek, sure to leave him unconscious… only for her leg to be caught mid-kick in the palm of his hand.

"Too soft." Her eyes widened as she felt her body leave the ground, her entire weight being swung in just one of the wolf's strong arms. With a single one hand toss, Blaze was sent flying several yards towards one of the many tall, solid trees. "For your sake, not too soft to make a _mess_."

"_Tch!_" Despite propelling through the air at great velocity, the true acrobat in Blaze shined through; gaining control of her body, Blaze corrected herself moments before colliding with a standing tree, the soles of her heels meeting the bark as she prepared to push off the side. "Cat's _always _land on their feet, _mutt_."

She leapt from the tree, her now speed twice that from which she came. With a twirl, focusing all of her momentum in her foot, Blaze smashed a kick in the canine's snout, finally sending him to the ground…

Strangely, Blaze never made it to the ground…

"W-What in the name of Sol is…?!" Blaze struggled through the air, pulling at every direction without one moving from her spot. Psychokinesis? No, it would be fairly obvious if that were the case. Darting her eyes around the forest, she found not one, but many culprits; thin, nearly invisible black wires tied themselves around the trees, as well as coiling Blaze's entire body. Following the wires, she'd found each one tied to the end of one of the several knives once airborne only moments ago.

"Your instincts… impressive. Not _perfect_." Blaze's golden orbs locked onto the wolf picking himself up from the ground, having yet to wipe that _aloof_, _uncaring_, _disrespectful _look from his face.

He swiped his thumb along the thin stream of blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Blaze went wide-eyed once she saw it; the tip of his thumb went alit with a murky grey flame, a similar presence coming from the magnitude of wires. The wolf slowly walked towards his captured prey, phasing through each wire in his way.

'_I knew it!' _Blaze clenched her teeth, scrunching her small muzzle in frustration, '_These wires are made from the same power soaked into this island, and it looks like he can control this disgusting energy. When he said called himself a _guardian_, that was no small fib…'_

_Sniff sniff._

"?!"

Once their faces were mere inches apart, the feline's face glew beat red once she could feel his hot breath caress her face. The wolf wordlessly examined every detail of her body with his… _nose_.

"_W-W-What_ is the meaning of this?" Blaze's voice cracked into a much higher pitch, nearly a shriek, desperately wiggling within the wires' clutches with a sudden urgency stronger than ever. "Do you think this is a game?! Release me at once-_nyaa__**AH!**_ INVASION OF PRIVACY, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING _**MUTT**_! EVER HEARD OF IT?!"

"You are loud. Very _annoying_." the _mutt _said flately, cleaning his ears with a pinky.

"Why you-" Blaze growled, "I shall not sit here and listen to such insulting words from one who quite _literally _sticks their nose where is doesn't belong!"

"Your smell is… _unique_," he spoke up again, ignoring the feline's previous howls. "Hard to describe. Smells… _Refined_. _Elegant_… _Nice_."

"…Flattering shall get you _nowhere_," Blaze snorted, a speckle of blush still warming her cheeks. "Now, release me at once, otherwise that wretched nose of yours may make for adequate _fertilizer _for this polluted land."

"No position to bark orders…" Plucking a knife from one of the many skewered in the trees, the wolf brought the cold steel to Blaze's neck. "You shall make an example for _them_."

Her eyes pierced into the wolf's lavender ones. "Who… is _them_?"

His snout crinkled. "_Silence_. Words mean nothing now… _Nani_?"

The metal of the blade had begun to glow a burning red before slowly deforming into a soft, downward slope. Soon after, the remains of the blade had melted into a pool onto the forest grass. Flicking his eyes back to the feline, a smug, almost intimidating smile curled to the side of her mouth.

"Really…" her voice hummed in a low tone, her next words nearly coming off as whispers, "What about _**now**_…?"

For the first time having seen this wolf, Blaze watched his expression contort into a much more serious look, slightly pleased with her work.

"Dangerous. Like the _others_." he muttered, folding the fingers of his right hand into his palm as he brought it back to strike. "Unconscious first. _Then _I kill you."

Before given the chance, the wolf's eyes were attacked by a blinding light. As the light had begun to subside, his once subdued target had been a lit with quite possibly the _hottest _flames he'd ever encountered, second guessing whether or not his tail would catch fire just from being as close as he was. Once the black wires had started to fade from the intense heat, it was clear to him that she did not suffer from the it's touch, rather controlled the flames licking her body quite similar to _armor_…

'_Steady does it…'_ Blaze paced the wires, slowly descending herself towards the ground. '_To avoid a forest fire, I shall extinguish the flame just as I hit the-'_

_**CRACK**_

Now, one would think any creature, once formulating that fire- indeed- equals "hot", would back away from the potential danger and burns to be inflicted if they treaded further…

But, despite the flames coating her body, the wolf had refused to wait any longer. His palm shot into the flames, pounding into Blaze's cheek with enough force to launch her nearly twenty feet. Crashing back to the ground with enough force to knock the wind right out of her, she got to a knee in heavy breaths to spot a small fire sprouting in the grass.

"Oh _nonono_!" Once putting herself out, Blaze manically crawled to the potential "natural" disaster, completely ignoring her soon-to-be swollen cheek. "If I don't put that fire out it will-"

Before her hand could even reach over to pat it out, the small fire decided to do the job for her, vanishing- no, being _absorbed _into the soil, fading away and becoming… _nourishment _for the forest…

"Well… this is, _uh_, new…"

Ear alerting her via a twitch, Blaze followed the low-pitched growl echoing through her eardrum back to her opponent. The gauze licked with flames fell to the ground to be extinguished by the land, his right hand left bare. As she expected, small scars covered his hand, fingers and all.

What she hadn't guessed were the scars on the back of his hand, engraved in such a fashion that it could be mistaken for a tattoo of the 虚 character. '_Peculiar, albeit a little _cliche_. If I recall correctly, that character means__-_'

"_私はほこりにあなたの骨を挽くものとします_…"

"…Pardon?" Blaze scratched her temple with a finger. "Could you repeat that, only a little _slower_? Or perhaps a little more… _English_. Yes, that may just help."

The kanji inscribed on his right hand had begun to glow an unnatural lavender. The air shifted around him, a homicidal dark aura rising similarly to smoke came from the wolf's body, emitting the same feeling of zest as the black wires.

"Your bones…" The wolf's voice came off on a low rumble, barely audible over the bass-like hum of the energy surrounding him. He locked his lavender eyes on the cat, holding a ferocious attitude contrastingly stronger than what had yet to be seen. "I shall grind them… into _dust_…"

Pulling his right hand back, the energy around the wolf had begun to migrate around it. Focusing further, the tip of each finger had coated into small flame of murky grey with a purple hue. The shadows around the two had slowly started to blacken, swishing around like tentacles on the forest floor.

'_This power… it near rivals my own.' _Slowing her breaths, the feline rebutted by setting her hands ablaze, pushing away any form fear from her thoughts. '_But it matters not. I have taken down much worse than some ruffian _mutt_.'_

With a mighty swing of his arm came the shadows around them protruding to the surface. Blaze forced a powerful rocket of fire from her hands in effort to propel herself high in the air, tendrils of darkness following suit. Each direction her hands faced decided her course, the tendrils tracing her every move through the open sky, unable to keep up with Blaze's near mach speed.

"So. the stalking wolf can control the shadows he hides in!" Blaze cockily smirked, "How fitting!"

With a graceful dive to swoop under the tendrils coming each way, Blaze rocketed herself low to the ground, sidestepping every rising shadow spike in her path towards the wolf. Feet apart from crashing headfirst into her opponent, Blaze ceased the flames shrouding her hands, making use of her airborne momentum as she tore a flaming heel right through his neck.

'_Not bad. _However…' she quipped, the wolf before her mutating into a smoking silhouette, fading back into the shadows. Blaze snapped her head down in time to face a hand rising from a patch of shadow, it's entirety shrouded in a powerful dark mist. The real wolf had been behind the hand this time, making a grab for her face. '_You must be quicker than this to keep up with m__-_…_?!'_

Blaze was sure she had avoided the wolf's hand entirely, as his palm just barely passed by her face. The energy, however, grazed more than enough of her face to numb her senses, as if she'd been drugged with overwhelming fear.

'W-What… is…'

Her motor functions had yet to make back to Blaze in time for her to dodge the wolf's other palm smashing into her face, sending the feline shredding through the grass and dirt and crashing into a pillar of bark.

Blaze could hardly breathe, small trickles of red leaking from both her nose and mouth. "S-Such frightening… _evil _energy…" she coughed, sending a rush of pain through her rapidly beating heart. "Just a small _whiff _was enough… to _immobilize _me…"

"_Grk!_" the wolf clenched his teeth, clasping the mark burning his right hand. "'_Sora no Gurōbu'_ missed. Should not have… risked so early."

Blaze swept an arm along her muzzle, smearing her dripping blood onto her along the arm of her tailcoat. From what the feline gathered from listening over, such power did not come without risk. '_It seems 'Sora no… _whatever' _focuses great power in a single spot. Too much for even the user to handle without self injury.'_

Nearly tripping over herself from the minor head injury smacking into the tree had brought, Blaze forced herself off the ground and back to her feet. '_He will likely not resort to such a trick twice in a row, but that does not rule out the possibility entirely. No matter what he throws at me, I must completely avoid that _hand _of his at all cost!'_

Ceasing to give the pain in his hand any further attention, the wolf turned to face Blaze. His lavender eyes rested themselves upon her own, hinting significantly less malice compared to only moments ago. "To still be standing when others would not… You are _strong_."

"_Tch_." With any sense of normality shattered within this wolf, Blaze could feel her frustration surfacing ever the more. "Just give me your _accursed _name already. I typically prefer to know whom I address before shoving my heel down their throat, but as they say… Better _late _than _never_."

The wolf resisting the urge to ask about this '_they_'- assuming it simply referred to those other felines. "It is irrelevant… Does not change your outcome… but," he sighed, "I am called _Sloth_… of the _Okami_ clan native to this land. To protect this land…"

The wolf- now known as Sloth- had begun to continue to twitch his fingers. Catching on fairly quickly, Blaze traced a black wire back to many of the knives rested around the forest. "…I shall _**eradicate **_you."

In mere seconds, the wires had thickened themselves into tendrils, swinging the daggers powerfully towards Blaze with great speed. Blaze took off high over the flurry of airborne blades with aid from the powerfully propulsing flames coating her hands. Nevertheless, as soon as she went into flight, a hidden tendril snuck itself around her waist, throwing Blaze with enough force to rupture the ground beneath her.

The other end of the shadowy appendage attaching itself to his palm, Sloth was slingshot into the air, pulling him to his captured prey. As he fell, Sloth braced for near impact, ready to slam the feline further into the ground with his free palm.

That is, until a warm beam of light struck the wolf's coat.

"Have it your way, wolf!" Blaze smirked, the light following back to her forefinger aimed at Sloth's chest. "If it happens to be within your grasp of comprehension… be sure to _write_."

And with that, the intense heat concentrated into a thin column of fire emitted from Blaze's fingertip. Split seconds to spare, Sloth focused he tendril around his hand, forcing it to morph into a small, condensed whirlpool of shadow around his palm. The two powers finally making contact, Blaze's flames proved more than powerful enough to launch Sloth's entire body into the skies from once it came.

The pressure of the flames enough to contort his expression into strain, Sloth clenched his teeth, using every ounce of strength to clasp his mighty hands around the tiny pillar of flame. With luck, the wolf managed to extinguish the flames, leaving him several yards in the sky… only to meet the golden eyes of a certain feline hovering by her flames.

"My gut tells me you do not bode well in mid-air combat!"

Before he could raise an arm to defend himself, Blaze delivered a gruesome ax-kick to the back of Sloth's head, sending his body propelling down with a heavy, earth-shattering _crash_…

Heels meeting the ground with a prominent _thump_, Blaze kept her guard at attention as she waited for the mighty dust cloud to subside. '_He couldn't be… could he? His survival would be a valuable asset in escaping this Sol-forsaken island, so let us hope he__-_…_?'_

It... couldn't be possible. Blaze scanned every crack and crevice made into the dirt with the wolf's fall, refusing to believe she couldn't find even a strand of his fur, let alone a _body_. "T-This isn't possible! There's simply no _way _he could have esca-"

Opening her mouth a moment too soon, Blaze felt herself thrown against a tree, the solid bark surface knocking any air she had saved to finish her sentence. Forcing her eyes to face her opponent, her sights only met with her familiar desolate surroundings.

Without warning, her cheek met with what Blaze could only guess was the back of a hand, having barely been ready to catch her landing before smacking into another pillar of back. "Guh! Show yourself, coward! We shall not play this game a second time!"

Her words were met with another attempt to smash her face in. Blaze's reflexes sharpened, her eyes quick enough to catch a glimpse of the wolf's palm. Shielding herself with a forearm, the power behind the attack had still forced her weight to be thrown back several feet.

Blaze's effort had not been in vain this time around, managing to steal a sneak peek at her opponent, quite literally, slipping into the shadows.

'_Now this could be a problem,' _ the feline gave a light snort, '_Since this fight began, he has made great use of his home surroundings, but never to this extend… _Hmph_, no matter. I shall time my next moves accordingly, and I'll be _damned _if he gets the better of__-'_

Arching her entire torso until her hands could meet the blades of grass, Blaze's flexibility saved her from the knife hairs from meeting her throat. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, her guard was met with a pounding strike from the blade's owner. Her balance betrayed her, the blow throwing Blaze off her feet and crashing her a painful distance into the ground.

"I… have had…" she muttered in heavy rasps. Her fingers curled into a clenched fist, mimicking the pressure of her similarly tightening of her jaw. Her pearly white fangs revealed themselves, reflecting the golden glow emitting close to her body.

A pool of shadow blackened to unnatural pitch between two of the many scattered trees around her.

The body of a built canine rose from the black abyss, leaping with murderous intent towards the lavender feline. Not a hint of hesitation could be sensed in his movements.

A blade- tightly gripped between his fingers- grew closer to meeting her flesh, eager to be soaked in the crimson fluids draining from her life with her last breaths.

Blaze had finally had it.

"_E… __**NOUGH**__!_"

It was finally his turn to be knocked back. A sudden flash illuminated the area, a wave of fire crashing into the wolf, enough force to send him skidding through the grass and dirt and into a nearby tree with a _**THUNK**_.

Bright, almost white flames licked along her fur. Short lived, however, dying as quickly as they came to leave a heaving, barely standing cat. Before she could feel safe with her momentary victory, Blaze dragged her heel through the dirt in a swift 360 motion, a trail of flames following the trail and soon rising to create a wall around her.

It was only then that Blaze could fall to her knees, barely managing each breath her lungs desperately worked for.

'_No… no! Get a hold of yourself,'_ she screamed in the back of her mind. Fire held a special place in the realms of _pain _and _fear_; an unrivaled offence. As a fair trade, the deadly element could hardly hold it's own when it came to a solid _defense_, even a stray knife could penetrate such a wall. Blaze knew all too well… But then, why was her body betraying her judgement? '_You're smarter than this! Release this petty wall and face__-_ _!'_

Her blood ran felt as though it would turn to ice in her veins any second, as a familiar malice in the air driving her senses through a wall. Such concentrated animosity coming from outside her flames rivaled only one of the wolf's attack used throughout this series of events…

Blaze had made a _grave _mistake. And this fight would make for the cost.

As if the following seconds moved at a snail's pace within Blaze's mind, a sudden opening had broken fearlessly through the wall of flames as only a hand had emerged; the foul, murky black energy shrouding appendage even stronger than before, nearly seconds from making contact with the feline's alabaster muzzle. Her heart was in danger of beating through her chest by the mere stench.

Her mind had gone completely blank. "_N-NO! __**STAY BACK**__!_"

At split-seconds notice, Blaze focused the intensity of her flames around her hands in front of her, propelling her entire body backwards. The trees around her whizzed by Blaze like a blur, not giving her increasing speed a single thought as her mind focused on one thing and one thing only; to get away from the foul _odor_...

…When suddenly, a hand sprouted from the propulsion of flames, threatening to graze Blaze's snout at any moment…

…Until the hand ceased it's movement. Blaze had also found the trees of the forest get left behind as well. No longer was she hovering over dry land, but slowly descending into the ocean below. As a loud yet low hum filled her ears, Blaze prepared for the inevitable unpleasant splash…

"-_aaaaand __**GOTCHA!**_"

Senses still momentarily shot, it had taken more out of Blaze to lift her head than she would've anticipated. Colors of deep purple with hints of red painted the sky above, illuminating stunningly onto the surface of the water. Blaze gave beauty around her no mind, instead struggling to cope with the amount of hours lost in the realm of pugnant shadows.

'_The night is almost… how could I have wasted so much time…' _Seconds of only the crisp sea air whistling in her ears before her current situation hit Blaze full force, only then noting her current seating on the back of a jet ski. "…Marine, did you just-"

"And just n' the nick of time it looks! I know how much ya'd tear me ears of if I'd let ya go fer a swim… 'specially after I…" The dam had broken, streams reflecting harmoniously with the ocean around them before wiped furiously from her cheeks. "Y-You must think I'm a terrible c-captain…"

Despite the stress built upon by the day's events, Blaze could not bring herself to pour it onto her "captain's" conscience. "All is forgiven, really," Blaze put a hand on the young raccoon's shoulder, mustering a small smile scared by fatigue and pain.

Fortunately, it seemed to have gone unnoticed by Marine, as many other jet skis driven by koalas huddled around them with praise and cheers. "I know ya don't care for crowds n' all, but the _Coconut Crew_ were kind enough to lend a hand with the search party when I asked 'em. If y' should thank anyone, thanks these' blokes…"

Letting her sights wander, her golden eyes landed on the island only several meters away, not once brought up by those around her. 'They… really can't see it, can they? But…. why can I?'

Before going through the many theories her brain could rack up to make sense of the phenomena, Blaze caught a glimpse of a pair of eyes focused on her, they too fading into the darkness of the forest… Was she going _mad_?

'_I would not be surprised. If all of that was not my imagination running wild, I gave in to my emotions after all… I have _failed_.'_

Finally, the group took off, Marine making extra sure to drive at a speed that wouldn't make the already worn feline sick. Blaze's eyes, though slowly weighing themselves shut, never once left the island slowly fading from her sights due to the forest's odd properties, noting to Blaze that even her vision was limited against it's power.

That did not stop her from catching one final detail before her mind gave way to exhaustion; a floating hunk of metal floated along the edge of the island, one with a very familiar _moustached _logo.

"…_Nega_…"

* * *

"-and I mean did you _see _that! She was all like _FWOSH_, and he was all like _Ka-BAM_ and-"

"_U-Um_, Dots? Maybe we could be just a _little _more q-quiet, if that's okay? I mean, he c-could still be around here-"

"Don't sweat it, Opal!" the cheetah clasped her hand against the snow leopard's back, nearly knocking the wind from her fragile frame. "I bet he couldn't even _find _us right now if he tried thanks to your _Whiteout _thingie!"

"I-It's… called _Blizzard Whiteou_-"

"That's _real _Interestin' and all, but that there purple chick was pretty coo'," the small sand dune feline chuckled with a small grin. "_Cool_, _nimble_, _female_, _feline_! If she'd o' kept her head on she may've torn that mutt a new one for us. Defs' be someone perfect to consider _recruitin'_."

"Not likely, Amethyst. Something felt _off _about that woman, she seemed out of place. Even _familiar_, perhaps…" Golden Shoot considered the variables in her head, calculating her next words with a cool aura. "At any rate, we may need to watch out for her as well. I haven't a clue how she is connected to that wolf, or even our _client_, but it is clear she is more than powerful enough to oppose us as a _threat_."

"_Hmph_, spoilsport…"

"Alright. Time to get _serious_, girls," the lioness leader pushed herself to her feet, stretching her back from the less than comfortable surface the treebark made for. "Each of you collect plenty of this forest's native _fruit _and be ready to take your positions. We make our move at dawn." Garnet locked her moonlit red eyes on the petite feline in particular. "That means _you _too, Topaz."

"_Yeah yeah_, calm your muscles…" the Bay cat waved off, suppressing a small chuckle from her superior. Her mind then wandered off to bits and pieces she had caught from the skirmish witnessed less than half an hour ago.

A scene, in particular, having to do with how the canine used his nose. "_Hehe_, 's too bad I left my _shipping _goggles at home…"

**Author's Note: **_So yeah, our first shounen-as-__hell__ fight scene~!_

_Sorry it took some time to get these chapters up. Fight scenes, for me at least, are quite a bit more difficult to write than normal ones. Writers block didn't help matters either…_

_Anyway, a thing I never often mention is that I usually listen to music in order to create a fight scene, but I'll start sharing the songs I used to help give you guys a good feel with what I was going for._

_This one in particular, the first half up til Blaze finally uses her pyrokinesis was thought up by the song "Wrapped In Black" from the final boss of Sonic Rush. The second half onwards was thought up while listening to "Miss Murder" by AFI._

_This chapter and the last were actually going to be apart of chapter 2 as a whole, but I found that it works much better cutting these two up this way._

_Though she's improved greatly, looks like Blaze lost this time, but don't you worry your pretty little heads! Her chance at payback will come soon enough…_

_I'll admit, it's a challenge to get all of this done on your own. An editor would be nice at the moment, but I'm not really sure where to find one who would be interested, and maybe someone to bounce ideas back and forth with as well…_

_Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review~!_


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